Carlalberto Ludi has indicated that Nico Paz may have wanted to stay put at Como, which further fuels speculation that he snubbed a move to Tottenham.
Como had an interesting summer transfer window, where they not only added to their impressive squad under Cesc Fabregas but also managed to keep hold of their key stars like Assane Diao and Nico Paz. The latter was of particular interest to some of the top teams, including Tottenham Hotspur.
Spurs faced frustrations in the market about luring some top names for the attacking midfield role. The injury to James Maddison late in pre-season added to their issues, as signing a replacement for the England international became imperative.
The rejection from Eberechi Eze in favour of joining Arsenal was only one such story. Earlier in the window, Tottenham were close to signing Morgan Gibbs-White, before Nottingham Forest dug their heels in to keep hold of the attacking midfielder, which further frustrated Spurs.
Following the snub from Eze, they had turned their attention towards Nico Paz, but they were expecting frustrations in any deal for the Argentine. Real Madrid being the biggest factor in the chase owing to the numerous clauses they have in the player’s contract, which gives them total power over his future.
Reports claimed that Tottenham failed with a bid for Paz, which might suggest that either Como or the player rejected the idea. Furthermore, there is a big possibility of Real Madrid intervening in any deal for the young attacking midfielder.
Now, Como’s Sporting Director Carlalberto Ludi, via his comments on Tutto Mercato Web, indicated that Nico Paz wanted to stay with the club. He also stated that the club never received an ‘official’ bid from Tottenham for Nico Paz, but did not explicitly state that there was no contract.
Carlalberto said, “Not much, because no official offer arrived, and by official, I mean signed. We’ve always had the player on our side. What makes us truly proud is that, despite the sirens, many players and the coach chose to stay with us. We didn’t have to apply any pressure, other than to keep things straight, maintain balance, and continue explaining the project to them.”
Whether or not Spurs made an official bid remains the question, but they undoubtedly had a clear interest in the 20-year-old playmaking genius. However, it is important to note the possible role of Real Madrid if, at all, Spurs made a bid, as they control the future of the player to a large extent.
Real Madrid have a series of clauses, including modest buyback price points for each of the three windows between 2025 and 2027. For instance, they are reportedly ready to re-sign Nico Paz using a €10 million buy-back clause, which will be valid in 2026. They could have also made a sizeable profit had Como sold Nico Paz to Tottenham or someone else during the summer.
As for Tottenham, even though they were keen on Nico Paz, they clearly had no chance of signing the 20-year-old playmaking genius, especially owing to Real Madrid’s presence. The comments from Carlaberto only shed light that the Argentine international wanted to stay put, but the reality of the situation might indicate a future move to Real Madrid.
